town in Tennessee
Honey bee forage in Orme, Tennessee
Estimated forage here is better than about 24% of sites in Tennessee. Against other Tennessee sites it stands out most in fall (94th percentile) and lowest in summer (5th). Biggest nearby bee crops: soybeans (nearest 2.7 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 2.3 mi SW, grown 3 of the last 5 years); canola (nearest 3.1 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Orme?
- First forage: Jan 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Mar 1 to May 15, peaking early Apr (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), spring-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Orme, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Mar 31.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Soybeans: about 59 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.8 mi S, blooms late May – late Jul (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Corn: about 26 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.3 mi SW, blooms early Jun – early Jul (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Canola: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.3 mi SE, blooms late Apr – early Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Orme
Mostly: Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland; Southern Ridge and Valley / Cumberland Dry Calcareous Forest; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.61 mi S.
Things to watch
- Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.
How Orme ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 54th | 87th | 15th | 49th |
| Tennessee | 24th | 43rd | 5th | 94th |
| Southwestern Appalachians | 48th | 58th | 19th | 95th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 95% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Orme: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
South Pittsburg 5 mi · Kimball 8 mi · New Hope 8 mi · Sherwood 8 mi · Jasper 11 mi · Sequatchie 14 mi
All towns in Tennessee · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Orme (35.0147, -85.8048); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.